Is there a fire near Palu right now?
Wildfires near Palu
Updated
3 fire clusters within 80 km; nearest 13 km S, 1 detection in the last 48 h Latest satellite pass with a detection: Mon 12:54 am local (2026-10-25 16:54 UTC).
Live satellite fire detections within 80 km of Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, grouped into fire clusters, with the wind direction for smoke. Times are local (Asia/Makassar).
- Fire clusters within 80 km
- 3 last 48 h
- Nearest fire
- 13 km S 13 km S of Palu
- Hotspot detections nearby
- 3 VIIRS 375 m pixels, last 48 h
- Strongest fire radiative power
- 3 MW low-intensity
- Wind now
- SSE 8 km/h gusts 22 km/h, humidity 93%
Fires near Palu right now
NASA's VIIRS sensors detected 3 thermal hotspots in 3 separate clusters within 80 km of Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia in the last 48 h. The closest is 13 km S of the city centre (13 km S of Palu), with 1 detection and a peak fire radiative power of 1 MW, which is low-intensity for a single 375 m pixel.
1 cluster is within 25 km, close enough that smoke, ash or road closures may affect the city. Distances are measured from the city centre to the nearest detection, not to the fire's edge.
Every nearby cluster is low intensity (peak under 10 MW), which is typical of agricultural or garden burning, industrial heat sources such as steel works or flares, or small fires rather than a spreading wildfire.
Across Indonesia there are 943 fire clusters in the same window, 21 of them in Central Sulawesi.
| Fire cluster | From city | Detections | Peak FRP | First seen | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 km S of Palu | 13 km S | 1 | 1 MW | Mon 12:54 am | Mon 12:54 am |
| 38 km N of Palu | 38 km N | 1 | 3 MW | Sun 1:53 pm | Sun 1:53 pm |
| 76 km SE of Palu | 76 km SE | 1 | 0 MW | Sun 1:11 am | Sun 1:11 am |
Smoke and wind
Wind at Palu is from the SSE at 8 km/h (gusts 22 km/h), so smoke near the city drifts toward the NNW. Relative humidity is 93% and the temperature 25°C.
Palu is roughly downwind of the nearest fire, so smoke and haze are likely; check the air quality page before spending time outdoors.
Smoke shows up first as PM2.5 on air-quality monitors; the Palu air quality page has the live reading.
Evacuations and official information
GodsView shows satellite detections only. It does not know fire perimeters, containment or evacuation zones. Always follow evacuation orders from local authorities.
The Global Wildfire Information System, GWIS (gwis.jrc.ec.europa.eu), maps fire danger and burnt areas worldwide; evacuation orders come from national civil protection and local authorities.
About satellite fire detections
Satellite thermal hotspots are not all wildfires: gas flares, steel works, volcanoes and planned agricultural or prescribed burns show up too. VIIRS passes over most places about twice a day, so a fire can start or grow between passes, and thick smoke or cloud can hide one.
Fire radiative power (FRP) is the heat a fire gives off, in megawatts per pixel: under 10 MW is usually a small or smouldering fire, over 100 MW an intense flaming front.
Wildfires near other cities
More for this area
Data: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS active fires), Open-Meteo, GeoNames.